63 Building Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids 63 Building

General information
Location	Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul South Korea
Coordinates	37°31′11″N 126°56′24″E / 37.51972°N 126.94000°E / 37.51972; 126.94000
Opened	July 27, 1985
Owner	Hanwha Group (Hanwha 63 City Corp.)
Height
Antenna spire	274 m (899 ft)
Roof	249.6 m (819 ft)
Top floor	240 m (790 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	63 (3 underground)
Floor area	166,207 m (545,299 ft)
Lifts/elevators	37, by Hitachi/GoldStar (modernized by Mitsubishi Electric)
Design and construction
Architect	Harry D. Som and Helen W. Som, Som and Associates, ChunMyeong Park

The 63 Building (Hangul: 63빌딩; RR: Yuksam Building) is a super tall skyscraper in Seoul, South Korea. It stands on an island called Yeouido, right next to the Han River. This amazing building is officially known as 63 SQUARE. It used to be called Hanwha 63 City.

When it first opened on July 27, 1985, the 63 Building was incredibly tall. It was the tallest building outside of North America! It is also famous for its shiny gold color. It was the second-tallest gold-covered building in the world. The building was a big landmark for the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul.

The 63 Building was the tallest building in South Korea until 2003. That's when the Hyperion Tower became taller. But it stayed the tallest building for businesses until 2009. Even though it's called "63 Building," only 60 of its floors are above the ground. The top three floors (61-63) are special areas that people cannot visit.

The building's design looks a bit like the Korean character for "person" or "human being" (人). This was a clever idea from the designers. It was a nod to the insurance company that first built it.

Building History
- How It Was Built
- Famous Moments and Changes
Fun Things to Do Inside
- See the City from Above
- Shops, Movies, and More
Gallery
See also

Building History

How It Was Built

Work on the 63 Building started in February 1980. This was a time when South Korea's economy was growing very fast. It cost a lot of money to build, about 180 billion won. The construction was finished in May 1985.

The building was first named the DLI 63 building. DLI stood for Daehan Life Insurance, the company that owned it. Later, in 2000, the Hanwha Group bought the building. They changed its name to 63 City. It became a part of the Hanwha Group in 2002.

Famous Moments and Changes

The 63 Building first opened its doors on July 5, 1985. The official opening ceremony happened on July 27 of that year. When it was finished, it was the tallest building in the world, not counting North America. It was taller than the Sunshine 60 building in Japan. Other tall buildings in Singapore and Hong Kong later became taller.

Before the 1988 Summer Olympics began, the Olympic flame rested in front of the 63 Building. This made the building famous around the world. The building was originally the main office for Korea Life Insurance. But after some economic changes, the Hanwha Group took over the 63 Building.

The Seoul International Fireworks Festival started in 2000. It was canceled in 2001 because of the September 11 events in the United States. The festival dates were changed in 2002 to fit with the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It was even an official cultural event for the World Cup.

The 63 Building has been updated many times. A big renovation happened in three steps. For example, all 13,944 glass panels on the outside were replaced. This was done to make the building safer. The first part of the renovation finished in 2009. The second part finished in 2013. The third part was completed in July 2016. In 2015, the building celebrated its 30th birthday with special discounts.

Fun Things to Do Inside

See the City from Above

The 60th floor of the 63 Building has a special art gallery. It also has an observation deck called the 63 Golden Tower. From here, visitors can see very far on clear days, even to the city of Incheon.

On the 59th floor, there are international restaurants called Walking in the Cloud. The 58th floor has family restaurants named Touch the Sky. Special elevators with windows take people up to the observation deck. You can see the city as you go up! In the evenings, some elevators are just for couples. These are called Love Elevators and offer a quick, romantic ride.

Shops, Movies, and More

The lower floors of the 63 Building have an indoor shopping mall. It has about 90 different stores. There is also an IMAX theater where you can watch movies on a giant screen. The building used to have a large aquarium. There are also rooms for big meetings and parties.

Gallery

63 Building photographed in May 2023.
Topped-out 63 Building photographed in June 1984.
63 building was photographed in 2007.
At sunrise, the 63 Building begins to glow.
For twenty minutes at sunrise, the eastern side of the building is blindingly bright.

63 Building facts for kids

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